Jewish Owners of NYC Ben & Jerry’s Store to Donate Percentage of Profits to Israel Charities

Shiryn Ghermezian

Tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a Unilever brand, are seen at their shop in London, Britain, October 5, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

A Jewish family that independently owns and operates a Ben & Jerry’s location on New York’s Upper West Side announced on Monday that they will donate 10 percent of their profits to “Israel educational causes” in the wake of the ice-cream maker’s decision to no longer sell its products in the West Bank.

“We felt like it was the right thing to do given everything that’s going on,” store owner Joel Gasman told The Algemeiner. He also said business had been impacted since Ben & Jerry’s made its announcement on July 19.

“The pace of our business has slowed. We’ve lost some foot traffic as well as bigger catering jobs that usually help us during the summer. We can’t put a number to it just yet,” he explained. “Thankfully, we’ve received a lot of good will and local support since we released our statement. We are grateful for it.”

In a statement posted on the Facebook page of their store, the Gasman family said: “We feel the recent actions by its corporate office do not reflect our personal views, and we’re saddened by the impact that this has had on our business and the Jewish community. We are proud Jews, Americans, and active supporters of the New York Jewish community and State of Israel. We think the only concern you should have when coming into our store is deciding if you want rainbow or chocolate sprinkles!

“Starting today we’ll be donating 10% of our profits to State of Israel educational causes,” the post continued. “At this time, we ask for your support so that we can continue to operate and, in turn, support our community.